Ida O'Keeffe 1924

This photograph of Ida O'Keeffe was captured by Alfred Stieglitz, using what I'd imagine was a fairly new photographic process at the time. It’s all about the interplay of light and shadow, a process of revealing and concealing. There’s a softness to the image, a gentle focus that invites you in. It is about the materiality of light itself, the way it graces Ida's face, how it describes the texture of her simple dress, the shapes of the details, like the ribbon that suggests a kind of infinite symbol or logo on her chest. The light almost feels like a physical substance, something you could reach out and touch. Look at the way the light defines the curve of her cheek, and the subtle shadows under her eyes, all these create a portrait of depth and complexity. Thinking of other artists, I am reminded of the work of someone like Lucian Freud, who also had a real knack for capturing the weight and presence of the human form through paint. Stieglitz embraces ambiguity here, it’s not about fixing Ida in one particular moment, but about allowing her to exist in a space of ongoing possibility.